2008 Iowa, Tenn, Daytona & Peoria Rosters Announced

[Guest]

We are looking like: Hernandez, Rhee, Siegfried, Cabrera as the first 4 in that order. Then Ashwood with Acosta and Chen as our long relievers/spot starters

 

Good for those first four who're cemented in, especially Cabrera who looked like he was headed to the pen. Hopefully Acosta ends up in the rotation regularly. Ashwood was a spot starter last year with Boise who found his way into their rotation permanently and ended up being the Boise pitcher of the year - I would much prefer Ashwood to be a spot starter again with Acosta being the regular rotation guy.

 

Do you have any word on what happened to Huseby?

[craig]

Thanks for updates, Nate. Much appreciated. Having Cabrera in the rotation is very good news. HOpefully he's healthy and will impress. I was pretty disappointed at the notion that he wasn't interesting enough to justify rotation. Acosta remains a puzzle.

 

Still, I imagine these things can be very, very fluid. Sometimes I think who gets selected as starter is more important in that it reveals who management takes seriously. But minor league spring training doesn't last very long, so the pitchers begin on very short pitch counts. I'd be surprised if any Peoria pitchers go more than 5 innings during the first two rotations, and those who aren't pretty sharp will likely often be out before then. So if Acosta, for example, is scheduled to piggy-back behind Cabrera for the first two cycles, he'll likely be able to get in 3-5 innings each time just like a starter would. Sandberg can reconsider who's going to start after that.

 

cal, thanks for confirming that Ceda is in for Daytona. I hope Hempy is #5, because as a tall formerly fast lefty back from injury, I always have this vision of a guy emerging much faster and better than he ever was. But certainly a good chance that Marco Carillo will be the guy. Not a lot of upside, I don't think, but he's a decent A-ball pitcher.

[craig]

So what went wrong when they tried him {Maestri} as a starter last year? Was it simply lack of preparation (it was somewhere in the middle of the season, IIRC)?

I do agree that it's worth another shot, and even if he ends up as a reliever, getting the innings (even if it is for lack of a legit starting prospect) is a good thing in the long run.

 

He had four starts, well into the season. Who knows why he struggled. Total coincidence? (Every pitcher has some bad games, and sometimes they come in bunches.) He got tired after two innings? He understood that the purpose was so that he'd practice his 3rd and 4th pitches more, because he didn't throw them much in relief and they weren't any good? So he threw a bunch of them and indeed, they weren't any good? He had a sore back? His girlfriend was dumping him? His mechanics were mixed up?

 

Lots of possible factors. Premature to conclude which ones were responsible, or might necessarily be problems in future rotation work.

[Guest]

From the Iowa Cubs game notes for today's exhibition game, here is the Iowa Cubs roster:

 

C J.D. Closser

C Koyie Hill

C/3B Casey McGehee

1B Micah Hoffpauir

IF Andres Blanco

IF Luis Figueroa

2B/OF Eric Patterson

OF Jake Fox

OF Sam Fuld

OF Josh Kroeger

OF Matt Murton

OF Bobby Scales

OF Andres Torres

 

Starting Pitchers (in order):

 

LHP Sean Marshall

RHP Sean Gallagher

LHP J.R. Mathes

LHP Randy Keisler

RHP Mark Holliman

 

Bullpen:

 

RHP Jose Ascanio

RHP Mike Burns

RHP Andy Cavazos

LHP Neal Cotts

LHP Geoff Jones

RHP Juan Mateo

LHP Les Walrond

[UBlink]

If one of Kroeger, Murton and Fox can play CF that would be an awesome lineup with Hoffpauir, EPAtt and McGehee in the infield.

[rawaction]

If one of Kroeger, Murton and Fox can play CF that would be an awesome lineup with Hoffpauir, EPAtt and McGehee in the infield.

 

Kroeger in CF

McGehee at C

EPatt at 2B

Murton in LF

Fox at 3B.

Hoffpauir at 1B.

[Wrigley Rat]

All rosters have been posted on Scout.com - no membership required.

 

Where is Billy Petrick? I heard he was hurt earlier this spring, but thought he was better by now. I'm guessing he's just staying at EST, but doesn't he have to be placed on the Iowa DL?

[Guest]

Here ya go:

 

RHP Esmailin Caridad

RHP Marco Carrillo

RHP Jose Ceda

LHP Darin Downs

RHP Dumas Garcia

LHP Adam Harben

LHP Casey Lambert

RHP Alex Maestri

RHP Ryan Meyers

LHP Jeremy Papelbon

RHP Mike Phelps

LHP Jayson Ruhlman

LHP James Russell

 

Catchers:

 

Welington Castillo

Steven Clevenger

Mark Reed

 

Infield:

 

Darwin Barney

Russ Canzler

Josh Lansford

Ryan Malone

Matt Matulia

Tony Thomas

 

Outfield:

 

Jim Adduci

Yusuf Carter

Ty Wright

Jonathan Wyatt

[UK1679666180]

I'm disappointed that I missed Thomas here in the MWL.

[Outshined_One]

I'm disappointed that I missed Thomas here in the MWL.

 

Seconded.

[badnews]

In an earlier topic someone posted the prospective rosters, and they were full of too many aggressive promotions to be true. Sigh. Seeing the minor league rosters every season is like getting a lump of coal in your stocking every Christmas. S-l-o-w promoting. I wish we could be more like the Dodgers or even the Mariners. I like the Mariners style of promoting.

 

It's inexcusable to me that Vitters is starting in short season. Inexcusable. Who puts a Top 5 high school hitter in short season the year after he's drafted. Nobody, that's who. If he doesn't look ready, then he's already a mistake. No, it's not too much to ask your Top 3 selection to go to full season.

 

The mighty Robert Hernandez is REPEATING a level? Come on, what is this? How can you talk up a guy like that then have him repeat a level? Glaciers move quicker than this.

 

Donaldson can't skip a level, no, he's got to be a 23 year old in High A. Steve Clevenger already put a Shaft-like badass hurtin' on Daytona, why is he still there? Remove the umbilical cord on some of these guys. Kyle Reynolds already beat up Tennessee.

 

This is why the Dodgers end up with so many top prospects. They promote guys quickly, they live up to the challenge and succeed, whereas with the Cubs, we have to keep them buried for what can only be described as geologic time, look at how the Mariners promoted Asdrubal Cabrera, if he were with the Cubs he'd still be the Midwest League probably.

 

It's time to get some guys who are young for their levels. Rhee is nice, okay. Tony Thomas is nice. The rest is deplorable. Too many guys with some hope to their futures are being held back by guys with none. Seriously, who is keeping Kyle Reynolds out of Iowa? Who is keeping Robert Hernandez out of the Daytona rotation?

 

Let's get things moving. I think the right guys will live up to a challenge instead of being sandbagged and not being able to see any progress.

Edited April 2, 2008 by badnews

[rawaction]

In an earlier topic someone posted the prospective rosters, and they were full of too many aggressive promotions to be true. Sigh. Seeing the minor league rosters every season is like getting a lump of coal in your stocking every Christmas. S-l-o-w promoting. I wish we could be more like the Dodgers or even the Mariners. I like the Mariners style of promoting.

 

It's inexcusable to me that Vitters is starting in short season. Inexcusable. Who puts a Top 5 high school hitter in short season the year after he's drafted. Nobody, that's who. If he doesn't look ready, then he's already a mistake. No, it's not too much to ask your Top 3 selection to go to full season.

 

The mighty Robert Hernandez is REPEATING a level? Come on, what is this? How can you talk up a guy like that then have him repeat a level? Glaciers move quicker than this.

 

Donaldson can't skip a level, no, he's got to be a 23 year old in High A. Steve Clevenger already put a Shaft-like badass hurtin' on Daytona, why is he still there? Remove the umbilical cord on some of these guys. Kyle Reynolds already beat up Tennessee.

 

This is why the Dodgers end up with so many top prospects. They promote guys quickly, they live up to the challenge and succeed, whereas with the Cubs, we have to keep them buried for what can only be described as geologic time, look at how the Mariners promoted Asdrubal Cabrera, if he were with the Cubs he'd still be the Midwest League probably.

 

It's time to get some guys who are young for their levels. Rhee is nice, okay. Tony Thomas is nice. The rest is deplorable. Too many guys with some hope to their futures are being held back by guys with none. Seriously, who is keeping Kyle Reynolds out of Iowa? Who is keeping Robert Hernandez out of the Daytona rotation?

 

Let's get things moving.

 

I agree to some extent. I think in the past the Cubs were too aggressive, but now they are probably a touch too conservative for my liking on some players. I tend to agree on Reynolds and Hernandez. Disagree on Vitters.

[badnews]

And they move up the wrong guys, like Donald Waters, wasn't he the youngest Cub in Daytona? Come on. If Donald Waters but not anyone else? That's the guy you'll try and make the jump with? Or Scott Taylor? Scott Taylor can handle Daytona but not Robert Hernandez? BAH.

[wvcbxl]

From the Iowa Cubs game notes for today's exhibition game, here is the Iowa Cubs roster:

 

... followed by a lot of WTF no names I've never heard of.

 

In view of the above complaint abou guys repeating, I have to wonder about this organization.

[laurens]

From the Iowa Cubs game notes for today's exhibition game, here is the Iowa Cubs roster:

 

... followed by a lot of WTF no names I've never heard of.

 

In view of the above complaint abou guys repeating, I have to wonder about this organization.

 

SHouldn't you be working :-s

[craig]

...

It's time to get some guys who are young for their levels. Rhee is nice, okay. Tony Thomas is nice. The rest is deplorable. ...Let's get things moving. I think the right guys will live up to a challenge instead of being sandbagged and not being able to see any progress.

 

This will seem like a Cub apologist. But be that as it may, I think there is some reason to be optimistic and/or to justify some of the assignments.

 

1. Peoria's opening rotation is extremely young for their level. Rhee, Cabrera, Acosta, and Hernandez, that's four teenagers, probably at least three and perhaps four of which will be in the rotation. I'd be extremely surprised if any other Midwest-league team has three teenage starters in their opening rotation. I think all four of those guys have the potential to be good major-leaguers.

 

2. There are other elements to the game besides hitting, especially for catchers. Clevenger hit well last year, but he's caught 15 games in his pro career. Doing Daytona to develop his defense, that seems completely justifiable to me. (Although I do have a fear that by keeping the busted Mark Reed there, that Jody Davis will play the experience Mark Reed and instead put Clevenger and his bat in at 1B and DH a lot, so that he'll again be lacking in games behind the plate. Obviously Castillo will play a lot. So I expect Castillo to play every-other-day, with Reed/Clevenger splitting up the other half of the games. I really wish they'd just released Reed and made it a straight Castillo/Clevenger tandem.)

 

3. There are other elements to the game besides hitting, especially for catchers. This also applies to Donaldson. Based on bat, obviously they'd have skipped him to Daytona, as they did with Thomas, Wyatt, Wright, and Barney (as well as pitchers Russell and Lambert.) But with only two years of catching experience (and I think even his first year didn't he do some 3B/C split duties?), all accounts suggest that while Donaldson has the tools to be very good defensively, that he's still raw and needs some polish. So I'm not sure that isn't an appropriate and justifiable assignment.

[Guest]

I guess I'm one of the few who's actually happy the Cubs aren't blindly aggressively promoting guys (cough Corey Patterson; heck, the Cubs have been far too aggressive with Tyler Colvin) these days. I have no problem with where Vitters is at (sure, I would have liked him to force the Cubs hand and start in full season). No problem with where Donaldson is at, no problem with Clevenger, Ceda, Wellington Castillo or Lansford.

 

I am disappointed that Hernandez is repeating. Reynolds I could go either way with. I think he's going to end up as a utility corner guy so it's not a big deal to me if he's at AA or in a hitters league in AAA.

 

I've always felt the Mariners are a bit too aggressive. The Dodgers have good farm systems because their talent is far superior to that of the Cubs'. Not because of how aggressive they are with their prospects.

[jersey cubs fan]

I guess I'm one of the few who's actually happy the Cubs aren't blindly aggressively promoting guys (cough Corey Patterson; heck, the Cubs have been far too aggressive with Tyler Colvin) these days. I have no problem with where Vitters is at (sure, I would have liked him to force the Cubs hand and start in full season). No problem with where Donaldson is at, no problem with Clevenger, Ceda, Wellington Castillo or Lansford.

 

I am disappointed that Hernandez is repeating. Reynolds I could go either way with. I think he's going to end up as a utility corner guy so it's not a big deal to me if he's at AA or in a hitters league in AAA.

 

I've always felt the Mariners are a bit too aggressive. The Dodgers have good farm systems because their talent is far superior to that of the Cubs'. Not because of how aggressive they are with their prospects.

 

I think the problem is more about the quality of the prospects moreso than the lack of aggressive promotion. This conservative approach is probably appropriate, given what they have to work with.

[Guest]

Some Peoria notes, including a Vitters mention:

 

The Pantagraph[/url]"]Third baseman Josh Vitters, the Cubs’ No. 1 prospect, is starting the season at extended spring training but is expected to be assigned to Peoria at some point this spring.

 

Unsurprisingly, Donaldson is expected to bat cleanup. Looks like Hernandez is the opening day starter:

 

Peoria Journal-Star[/url]"]The heart of the order likely will be Marquez Smith batting third, catcher Josh Donaldson in the cleanup spot with Blake Lalli or Jovan Rosa fifth.

 

...

 

Sandberg named Robert Hernandez the starter for opening night. Barring any changes, Zach Ashwood will start the home opener Monday against Beloit.

 

...

 

The full starting rotation is Hernandez, Rhee, Chris Siegfried, Alberto Cabrera and Ashwood.

[Guest]

The Chiefs had a practice - I believe it was yesterday morning - here are some pics, via the Pantagraph:

 

http://www.pantagraph.com/content/gallery/gallery_6/album_501/midsize_photo47f2eed15cf79505173275.jpg

Josh Donaldson and Ryne Sandberg

 

http://www.pantagraph.com/content/gallery/gallery_6/album_501/midsize_photo47f2eed154a6b697507808.jpg

Donaldson and someone's back

 

http://www.pantagraph.com/content/gallery/gallery_6/album_501/midsize_photo47f2eed13b567864055503.jpg

Marquez Smith

 

http://www.pantagraph.com/content/gallery/gallery_6/album_501/midsize_photo47f2eed133557123047335.jpg

Smith and Nate Samson

[karenmac]

figures that the Pantagraph would actually have better Chiefs coverage than they do in the Peoria paper. urgh. From what we heard last night, the Chiefs are going to practice under the lights tonight before opening up at Burlington tomorrow night, so hopefully the guys are getting used to each other.

 

Nate's right, BTW - Dylan Johnston does look like a linebacker. I suppose that's what happens - his being here over the last couple of years (starting when he was fresh out of high school) - guess he's just growing up. I'm just hoping that the extra doesn't just translate into better power at the plate, but also being less error prone in the field. A girl can hope anyway!

[Guest]

figures that the Pantagraph would actually have better Chiefs coverage than they do in the Peoria paper. urgh. From what we heard last night, the Chiefs are going to practice under the lights tonight before opening up at Burlington tomorrow night, so hopefully the guys are getting used to each other.

 

Right, it's an 8 pm practice according to the Chiefs web site.

[badnews]

This will seem like a Cub apologist. But be that as it may, I think there is some reason to be optimistic and/or to justify some of the assignments.

 

I'm sorry, but it does seem like being an apologist. you and California Raisin both. One the Raisin side of the ball, the Dodgers weren't just aggressive with their best prospects, they were aggressive with a lot of their talent.

 

I can't figure out the Hernandez thing. I still haven't seen an explanation as to why Scott Taylor made Daytona last year, but Hernandez can't now? There are a lot of examples like these.

 

Clevenger hit amazingly in Daytona, look at those strikeouts, plus that .789 OPS. I think they're stunting his growth by making him repeat Daytona, it's a mistake. I think we all know he's not going to be a catcher, and this is going to prove to be a waste like pretending Jake Fox could catch. I think you're right, it's going to be 1b/DH for Clevenger. Castillo should be playing a lot, so why shouldn't Clevenger go to Tennessee? No reason.

 

 

Based on bat, obviously they'd have skipped him to Daytona, as they did with Thomas, Wyatt, Wright, and Barney

 

Look at how old those guys are though.

[Wrigley Rat]

I guess I'm one of the few who's actually happy the Cubs aren't blindly aggressively promoting guys...

Hyperbole noted...

 

Actually, I strongly disagree with BadNews and am also happy regarding the placements for this year. They matched up pretty well with what I was hoping/predicting. I just don't have much time to support my position at the moment (Blackhawks vs. Wings).

 

The best point I think I can make without much work is to look at the Cubs' ages at each level compared to most organizations. We are one of the few teams that are still close to 24 at AAA, 23 at AA, 22 at High-A, and 21 at Low-A. The last two years have been a little higher than usual due to the large number of college players drafted vs. high schoolers, but we are still doing well age-wise.

 

I made a post earlier this off season wondering why the Cubs would want to promote players so quickly, and happily they didn't and it didn't matter. I prefer to see them go one step at a time, but perhaps do two levels per year when possible with mid-season promotions.

 

Finally, I noticed that the Cubs are more aggressive with players that they feel are longshots to make it to the majors (low draft picks, undrafted free agents, etc.). The Donny Walters' of the world. They will also do that for advanced college kids who are top notch talent, but that makes sense since they have played against Low-A talent for 2-4 years already anyway (Tony Thomas).

[Transmogrified Tiger]

If Clevenger is going to be 1B/DH, then is making him go a full season in Daytona after he put up a .045 IsoD and a .098 IsoP that bad an idea?

 

As far as Reynolds goes, Iowa has Fox, Murton, Hoffpauir, Kroeger, and McGehee all looking for time at one or more of Reynolds' positions. And again, Reynolds had 8 walks in 150 AA Plate Appearances, and he's never OBP'ed above .322, I like all of the previously mentioned guys as potential MLB contributors more than him.

 

Hernandez I agree with, I really would've liked to see him in Daytona's rotation.

 

I was pretty disappointed that Vitters didn't stick in Peoria, although if he winds up there before long I don't have a huge problem with it.

 

With Donaldson, I think it's a matter of organizational backup. The aforementioned Clevenger is at Daytona, and Wellington Castillo isn't a non-prospect either. Hopefully somebody gets hot and takes the Tennessee job so everyone can move up.